Method of deuterium isotope separation and enrichment

Abstract

A method of separating deuterium, i.e. heavy hydrogen, from certain naturally occuring sources using tuned infrared lasers to selectively decompose specified classes of organic molecules (i.e. RX) into enriched molecular products containing deuterium atoms. The deuterium containing molecules are easily separated from the starting material by absorption, distillation or other simple chemical separation techniques and methods. After evaporation such deuterium containing molecules can be burned to form water with an enriched deuterium content or pyrolyzed to form hydrogen gas with an enriched deuterium content. The undecomposed molecules and the other reaction products which are depleted of their deuterium containing species can be catalytically treated, preferably using normal water, to restore the natural abundance of deuterium and such restored molecules can then be recycled.

I claim: 
     
       1. A method for separating and enriching deuterium containing molecules comprising the steps of: (a) providing a source of organic molecules containing deuterium atoms, said organic molecules having a structural formula RX, in which R is an organic radical selected from the group consisting of ethyl, isopropyl, t-butyl and 3-cyclopentenyl and in which X is selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br and OH;   (b) exposing said molecules to the radiation of at least one infrared laser source which has been specifically tuned and focussed to selectively decompose RX molecules containing deuterium to form an enriched olefin specie containing deuterium and HX; and   (c) separating said deuterium enriched olefin specie from the undecomposed deuterium depleted RX molecules and HX.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 in which said deuterium enriched olefin specie is converted into water with an enriched deuterium content. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 2 in which said deuterium enriched water contains about 10% to 20% deuterium. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 1 in which said deuterium enriched olefin specie is pyrolyzed to form hydrogen gas with an enriched deuterium content. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 4 in which said deuterium enriched hydrogen gas contains about 10% to 20% deuterium. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim 1 in which said undecomposed deuterium depleted RX and said HX molecules are subsequently treated with a deuterium containing source to restore in the latter deuterium depleted molecules a supply of deuterium atoms. 
     
     
       7. The method of claim 4 in which said deuterium restored molecules are recycled as the source of RX molecules to be exposed to said infrared laser radiation for further selective decomposition and separation of deuterium containing molecules. 
     
     
       8. The method of claim 1 in which said undecomposed deuterium depleted RX and said HX molecules are catalytically treated and separated into a deuterium depleted olefin and HX, then individually exchanged with water or H 2  to restore therein, a normal abundance of deuterium, and then said exchanged olefin and HX are recombined to form a supply of RX which can be exposed to said infrared laser for further selective deuterium specie decomposition and separation. 
     
     
       9. The method of claim 1 in which said laser is specifically tuned to provide pulsed frequencies in the range of about 900cm -1  to 2100cm -1 . 
     
     
       10. The method of claim 9 in which said infrared laser is a CO 2  or N 2  O laser. 
     
     
       11. The method of claim 9 in which said infrared laser is a CO laser. 
     
     
       12. A method for separating and enriching deuterium containing molecules comprising the steps of: (a) providing a source of cyclopentene molecules containing deuterium atoms;   (b) exposing said cyclopentene molecules to the radiation of at least one infrared laser source which has been specifically tuned and focussed to selectively decompose deuterium containing cyclopentene molecules into a deuterium enriched cyclopentadiene specie and hydrogen; and   (c) separating said deuterium enriched cyclopentadiene and hydrogen gas from the undecomposed deuterium depleted cyclopentene.   
     
     
       13. The method of claim 12 in which said deuterium enriched cyclopentadiene is converted into water with an enriched deuterium content. 
     
     
       14. The method of claim 13 in which said enriched water contains at least about 10% deuterium. 
     
     
       15. The method of claim 12 in which said deuterium enriched cyclopentadiene is pyrolyzed to form further hydrogen gas with an enriched deuterium content. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 15 in which said further enriched hydrogen gas contains at least about 10% deuterium. 
     
     
       17. The method of claim 12 in which said deuterium depleted cyclopentene is cataytically exchanged with water or H 2  to produce cyclopentene having a restored abundance of deuterium which is then exposed to said infrared laser for further selective deuterium specie decomposition and separater. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 12 in which said laser is specifically tuned to provide preselected pulsed frequencies in the range of about 900cm -1  to 2100cm -1 . 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 16 in which said infrared laser is a CO 2  laser. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 16 in which said infrared laser is a CO laser. 
     
     
       21. A method for separating and enriching deuterium containing molecules comprising the steps of: (a) providing a source of organic molecules containing a normal abundance of hydrogen and deuterium atoms, said organic molecules having a structure RX, in which R is an organic radical selected from the group consisting of ethyl, isopropyl, t-butyl and 3-cyclopentenyl and X is selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br and OH;   (b) exposing said molecules to the radiation of at least one infrared laser source which has been specifically tuned and focussed in the frequency of about 900cm -1  to 2100cm -1  to selectively decompose only RX molecules containing at least one deuterium atom thereby forming a molecular deuterium enriched olefin specie and HX;   (c) separating said deuterium enriched olefin from the undecomposed deuterium depleted RX molecules and HX;   (d) treating said undecomposed deuterium depleted RX molecules to form a deuterium depleted olefin;   (e) separating said deuterium depleted olefin from the deuterium depleted HX;   (f) exchanging said deuterium depleted olefin and said HX with a source of at least a normal abundance of hydrogen and deuterium atoms to restore the depleted deuterium content;   (g) recombining the deuterium restored olefin and HX to form RX molecules having at least a normal abundance of deuterium atoms; and   (h) recycling the recombined RX molecules as the source of organic molecules as specified in (a) above.   
     
     
       22. The method as claim 21 in which said deuterium enriched olefin specie is converted into water with an enriched deuterium content. 
     
     
       23. The method of claim 21 in which said deuterium enriched olefin specie is pyrolyzed to form hydrogen gas with an enriched deuterium content. 
     
     
       24. The method of claim 21 in which said deuterium restored molecules are recycled as the source of RX molecules to be exposed to said infrared laser radiation for further selective decomposition and separation of deuterium containing molecules. 
     
     
       25. The method of claim 21 in which said infrared laser is a CO 2  or N 2  O laser. 
     
     
       26. The method of claim 21 in which said infrared laser is a CO laser. 
     
     
       27. A method for separating and enriching deuterium containing molecule comprising the steps of: (a) providing a source of cyclopentene molecules containing a normal abundance of hydrogen and deuterium atoms;   (b) exposing said cyclopentene molecules to the radiation of at least one infrared laser source which has been specifically tuned and focussed in the frequency range of 900cm -1  to 2100cm -1  to selectively decompose cyclopentene molecules containing at least one deuterium atom thereby forming a deuterium enriched cyclopentadiene specie and hydrogen;   (c) separating said deuterium enriched cyclopentadiene specie and hydrogen from the undecomposed deuterium depleted cyclopentene molecules.   (d) exchanging said deuterium depleted cyclopentene molecules with a source of at least a normal abundance of hydrogen and hydrogen and deuterium atoms to restore the depleted deuterium in the cyclopentene; and,   (e) recycling the deuterium restored cyclopentene molecules as the source of cyclopentene as specified in (a) above.   
     
     
       28. The method of claim 27 in which said deuterium enriched cyclopentadiene is converted into water with an enriched deuterium content. 
     
     
       29. The method of claim 27 in which said deuterium enriched cyclopentadiene is pyrolyzed to form further hydrogen gas with an enriched deuterium content. 
     
     
       30. The method of claim 27 in which said infrared laser is a CO 2  or N 2  O laser. 
     
     
       31. The method of claim 27 in which said infrared laser is a CO laser.